Comb-cleaner.



W. P. SMITH.

00MB CLEANER. APPLICATION FILED NOV.- 111111 9.

Patented Aug. 9, 1910.

FTCE.

WILLIAM P. SMITH, OF RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA.

COMB-CLEANER.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM 1?. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Raleigh, in the county of ake and State of North Carolina, have invented a new and useful Comb-Cleaner, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to comb cleaners and has for an object to provide a device of this character which will effectively clean both fine and coarse toothed combs, and which may itself be readily cleaned after each operation without disengaging any of its parts.

A further object is to provide a device of this character having a grip upon which comb cleaning members are so arranged as to be rocked to operative position as the operators hand closes upon the grip.

A still furtherobject is to provide a device of this character having a brush disposed in the most advantageous manner to permit the comb to be alternately actuated through the comb cleaning members and bristles of the brush without removing the hand from the grip or manipulating the device in any manner.

To attain the above ends the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combination of parts which will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed, it being understood that various changes in the minor details of construction may be made within the scope of the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing, forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the comb cleaner, shown in operative position. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the comb cleaner showing the comb cleaning members in position for being cleaned. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the comb cleaner. Fig. 4. is a longitudinal section of the comb cleaner.

Like characters of reference designate similar parts in the views shown.

Referring to the parts by their reference characters, 5 designates a grip which is preferably rectangular in contour and cross section and may be made from any material but preferably from wood. Formed in one extremity of the grip 5 is a recess 6 to re ceive the brush 7 and at the other extremity is formed an opening 8 by means of which the device may be hung upon any convenient nail or hook when not in operation.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 11, 1909.

Patented Aug. 9, 1910. Serial No. 527,510.

Arranged upon the grip 5 adjacent its brush holding end is an L-shaped supporting frame, one leg 9 of which is rigidly secured to the grip by screws or similar connectors 10 and the other leg of which projects substantially perpendicular to the grip and forms a stop 11, the purpose of which will presently appear. Projecting from the leg 10 of the L-shaped frame is a pair of spaced standards 12 and 13 having suitable bearings in their extremities to receive a pivot pin 14;.

A plurality of blades 15 are provided with suitable bearings at one end to engage the pivot pin 14:. The longitudinal edges of the blades are toothed or serrated, as shown at 16, so that a saw-like blade is formed. Each of the blades is independently movable upon the pivot pin 1 1 so as to be readily fanned out, as shown in Fig. 2, to permit of being readily cleaned. Spacing washers 17 are mounted upon the pivot pin between adjacent blades and are designed to hold the blades a sufficient distance apart to permit but a single blade to be engaged bet-ween adjacent teeth of a comb. The free ends of the blades, however, are sufliciently resilient to permit of any desired number of blades being engaged between adjacent teeth of a comb to facilitate cleaning a coarse toothed comb.

For rocking the blades to operative position an L-shaped latch is provided, one of the legs 18 of which is provided on its extremity with a pair of apertured lugs 19 in which are journaled the extremities of the pivot pin 14. The opposite end of the leg 18 is adapted to bear upon the extremities of the blades 15 in rear of the pivot pin 14; whereby to rock the blades from a position substantially parallel with the grip 5 to a position substantially at right angles to the same, as shown. The le' 20 of the latch provides a convenient nger grip upon which the fore finger of the operators hand will be placed as his hand closes upon the grip 5 to rock the blades to their operative position.

The blades are limited in their pivotal movements by the before mentioned stop 11 which normally engages the blades in advance of the pivot pin 14 and forms a support for the blades when the same are in their released position. The stop 11 engages the blades when rocked outward to their operative position by the finger latch, which latter holds the blades tightly against the stop so that a further pivotal movement of the blade is prevented. The contact face of the stop is provided with a fabric element- 21 which deadens the click which might otherwise occur when the blades are rocked to their operative position. In operation the hand is closed upon the grip 5 with the fore finger engaging the finger latch 20, which latter operates to rock outward the blades 16 as the hand closes upon the grip 5. The blades 15 may now be inserted between the teeth of a comb and the comb actuated back and forth over the blades either upon the lower or upper toothed surfaces of the same. The comb from time to time is disengaged from the blades and run through the bristles of the brush 7 to effectively remove dust or other foreign particles.

It is evident that neither the operators hand is released from the grip nor the grip manipulated in any manner during the operation of cleaning a comb. It may be further noted that the blades may be fanned out, as shown in Fig. 2, after each operation of cleaning a. comb, and a brush or other device is passed over the exposed surface of each blade to readily remove any foreign matter adhering thereto whereby the blades are maintained in a sanitary condition at all times.

IVhat is claimed is:

1. A comb cleaner consisting of a grip, a plurality of movable blades pivotally connected to said grip, a latch bearing upon the pivoted ends of said blades to rock the same,

and means for limiting the movement of said blades.

2. A comb cleaner consisting of a grip, a plurality of independently movable blades pivoted at one end to said grip, a latch bearing upon the pivoted ends of said blades to rock the same, and a stop carried by said grip to limit the movement of said blades.

3. A comb cleaner consisting of a grip, a plurality of spaced movable blades pivoted at one end on said grip,---a latch pivotally mounted upon said grip and bearing against said blades whereby to rock the same, and a stop projecting from said grip adapted to engage the blades and limit the pivotal movement of the same in either direction.

4. A comb cleaner having a grip, a plurality of blades pivotally connected to said grip, a bent latch having one of its legs pivotally connected to said grip and adapted to engage the pivoted ends of said blades in rear of their pivots, and its free leg adapted to be engaged by the operators hand whereby to rock the blades to operative position as the hand closes upon said grip, and a stop projectin from said grip adapted to engage each of said blades adjacent its pivot whereby to limit the pivotal movement of the blades in either direction.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afiixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM P. SMITH.

Vitnesses:

BART M. GALLING, n. C. HARRIS. 

